Mirror of Erised
by helloelizabeth
Summary: Based on "Dalton" by CP Coulter. Logan and Julian are attending Hogwarts when they discover the Mirror of Erised.


**Hogwarts!Jogan - Mirror of Erised**

The two best friends ran as fast as they could despite their uncomfortable position underneath the younger boy's invisibility cloak.

"Logan, you've got to _bend down_ a little more, otherwise we'll get caught!"

The taller blond boy huffed angrily and bent his knees, shielding his ankles from view.

"It's not my fault that you're so goddam short and-"

"Be quiet, this is it! This is the room Derek told me about!"

Julian suddenly skidded to a stop on the gray marble floor, throwing Logan off balance and sliding the material over his now-visible head. The singer pulled the sheer cloak back over his shoulder, grumbling about his over-excitable friend who dragged him out of bed on such a short notice. The shorter brunet ignored his complaints and threw off the cloak completely, then strolled through the stone archway into the room Derek had described. Just as he had expected, a large brass mirror stood in the middle of the room, facing out in the empty classroom. The cloudy glass looked cracked and weathered, as though it had been very badly stored in a dusty attic, without anyone to appreciate it. The two Slytherin boys continued to stare at the ancient mirror in awe, taking in the inscriptions carved across the top of the frame, but not really reading the backwards letters.

Wordlessly, they made their way further into the abandoned room, stopping only once they stood directly in front of the magical object. Julian lifted his eyes and bravely looked into the glass before him. He was surprised to see his and Logan's exact reflections staring back at them. Derek had told them that the mirror showed the future, or what one dreamed of. The two thirteen year old wizards blinked in confusion as they took in the unchanged image in front of them, which couldn't be right. Logan spoke first.

"Maybe it doesn't work if there is more than one person looking into it... Like a boggart, maybe it gets confused if there are too many people for it to understand!" Logan's bottle-green eyes flashed with excitement, and he turned around and playfully shoved his friend out of the frame of the mirror. "I'm going first!"

For a split second as he tripped over his black robes, Julian was annoyed. _He_, after all, was the one who made Logan visit the forbidden mirror to begin with. Then he noticed how Logan's cheeks were flushed with excitement, as though he was truly enjoying this late night outing with Julian. The pink made his eyes stand out even more than usual, and how could Julian argue with him when he could see how they were a lighter shade of green closer to the iris, and that for the first time in weeks, they held no anger in them, only a childish gleam of anticipation...

Julian shook his dark hair out of his eyes and the thoughts out of his head. He felt intrusive as he watched Logan peer curiously into the depths of the glass, and he wished that he knew what his best friend was thinking.

"Lo, what do you see?"

Logan didn't look away from his reflection as he slowly said, "I see... My mother. She's with me, sitting at our old piano, and my father is there too. He isn't wearing his Ministry robes either..."

The brunet stepped closer to Logan, and said, "Is that all that you see?"

Logan avoided his eyes, and replied in a somewhat strangled voice, "Yeah."

"All right then, I believe you." Julian twirled his wand awkwardly through his fingers. "Well, should I go next then?"

Logan took one last glance in the mirror, then stiffly stepped aside to allow Julian through. Still not looking at him, he said, "I can't stay. Choir practice is early tomorrow, I've got to get some sleep." He ignored the invisibility cloak that was still on the floor and strode towards the exit. Julian could hear his boots clicking down the hall as he walked away. He was disappointed and a little ashamed that Logan hadn't waited, as though it wasn't important for him to see Julian's reflection. He still found himself hoping despite himself that Logan wouldn't be caught out of bed after hours.

Julian turned to face the mirror once more, though the exhilaration of exploring the castle was gone. Without Logan, everything seemed too risky. His best friend was in enough trouble as it was, his father banned him from going to Hogsmeade a couple of weeks earlier because of his "attitude". His thoughts of Logan's recent problems were almost completely forgotten when he lifted his eyes to gaze into the glass. He saw a perfect reflection, but again, it was of two wizards, not one.

The brunet whirled around, but there was no one beside him. After confirming that he was alone, he studied the reflection more closely. At first glance, the scene was completely innocent. Two attractive best friends standing side-by-side. One was holding sheet music, the other had a script for a play in his hands. Then he noticed the changes from reality. Logan looked exactly the same, as gorgeous as ever, but Julian was the one who'd changed. His skin was smoother and his eyes were a rich chocolate caramel colour. His features were chiseled to perfection, and his hair swept in perfect oak waves over his forehead. Not only that, but there was something else about this Julian that he couldn't put his finger on. He seemed to glow, radiating charisma and charm that he couldn't possibly have in life.

The fake-Logan in the mirror was beautiful, yet nothing about him had been changed at all. He was wearing the same robes he'd been in that day and in his fist were the same crumpled sheets of music he carried everywhere with him. The only difference was in the green eyes Julian knew so well. They were sparkling, joyous, filled with more love than he'd ever seen, and they were looking right at Julian.

Julian had just caught his breath when he saw their finger tips touch. His own hand tingled, even though his reflection had barely brushed hands with the other. Simply watching this scene play out made his heart beat faster and faster, and Julian had never yearned for anything like this, yet he didn't quite know what it was that he wanted. Nothing had changed between them, but everything had. Because it seemed like they would be best friends forever, that Logan would love him forever, Logan would love him as much as Julian loved -

Then it was over. It would never happen. The strikingly alluring Julian in the mirror began to look more and more different as Logan looked more and more the same. This wouldn't happen. Logan was perfect, and admittedly far too talented for Julian. His cheeks burned with shame as the reality of the situation began to sink in. He willed the mirror to change. He glared at the cold glass, hating it for mocking his now embarrassingly obvious feelings. His eyes pierced the object, silently begging it to shatter.

He felt his heart sink even further as he understood the words etched backwards into the dull brass above the mirror. Mirror-Logan snaked an arm around his waist and whispered sweet spells in his ear, and Julian read through his tears; _I show not your face but your heart's desire_.


End file.
